


don't trade me (away) like one of your bubblegum baseball cards

by eab5c5



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Baseball, Enemies to Lovers, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Rivalry, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Sports, Unresolved Emotional Tension, also chenle is not in this fic at all but i want you to know that he is jisung's best friend, and he's also the only one that plays basketball, markno are best friends but also totally soulmates in my head, spoilers !! i got fucking sappy at the end, when i write while nervous i default to humor i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29302812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eab5c5/pseuds/eab5c5
Summary: Lee Donghyuck has been Na Jaemin's sworn enemy since Little League, back when Donghyuck had pushed him into the dirt after Jaemin made it to first base, and Donghyuck hadn't been quick enough to tag him out.(In which rivals on and off the field end up being soulmates, one of them has a crisis about it and everything ends up going better than anyone expected it would.)
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin
Comments: 10
Kudos: 108
Collections: Love Dream 2020





	don't trade me (away) like one of your bubblegum baseball cards

**Author's Note:**

  * For [taeyeons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeyeons/gifts).



> hi bella !! i really hope you enjoy this fic. i'm a bit worried since i rly struggle with fics above like 3k words, but this needed to be long-ish to try and fit everything in, so i hope it has a sensible plot ?? w h e ez e and i'm sry there's not a lot of ust / rivalry i default to comedy when i'm nervous so most of this ended up being,,,, That - i did try my best tho !! and to anyone else who reads this i also hope you enjoy it askdjfhksjs
> 
> p.s. - the school / uni system used in this fic is american since i'm not familiar with any other i'm sorry
> 
> alternative title: tapping into my childhood jock self to remember all the rules of baseball

There are certain laws in this universe.

Gravity dictates that apples fall from trees. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Na Jaemin hates Lee Donghyuck, and vice versa.

(For every law there is an exception.)

+++

When Jaemin walks into the dugout and sees Lee Donghyuck sitting on the bench, tightening his cleats, he almost walks straight back out.

Of all the damn universities in the area Donghyuck just had to pick the same one as Jaemin. The same one Jaemin has been attending for 6 months now, and not once has he seen Donghyuck on campus. And its fine, really, Jaemin can deal with going to the same school as Donghyuck. He already has, so it’s not like college was going to be any different. It’s the possibility of being on the same _team_ as Donghyuck that Jaemin can’t fathom, because of course they’d both be trying out for college baseball. 

_Of course_.

He wonders, for a split second, what it would actually be like to wear the same uniform as Donghyuck.

Back in high school they only had two teams, Jaemin on one and Donghyuck on the other, so if they were ever on the same field it was because their teams were playing against each other. By then whatever strained, volatile relationship they had with each other was well known throughout the school. Jaemin’s cousin Jisung tells him that kids still talk about the Brawl of Summer ‘15 like it was yesterday. (Jaemin had received a black eye and a rolled ankle, but he’d given Donghyuck a broken nose and so concluded himself the winner.)

The more he thinks about it the harder it is to imagine playing alongside Donghyuck. He can already imagine Donghyuck’s shit-eating grin when Jaemin strikes out or misses a base. He doesn’t think he’d be able to stop himself from giving Donghyuck a piece of his mind, and it hasn’t even happened yet.

A harsh whistle pulls Jaemin out his daze at the entrance of the dugout, and he drops his sports bag onto the dusty ground, quickly digging around for his glove and slipping on his cleats as other students start jogging onto the grass.

Donghyuck doesn’t seem to have noticed him yet as Jaemin joins the group.

The coach bellows his introductions, gives them the rundown and sends them on five laps around the field before catching practice. 

The physical activity manages to distract Jaemin, for a bit, until he makes eye contact with Donghyuck a few rows down. He almost misses his next catch as Donghyuck stares at him like a deer caught in headlights. Like he honestly wasn’t expecting to see Jaemin at all. When he realizes Jaemin is looking back at him Donghyuck scowls, and Jaemin returns the expression with a glare before focusing on the exercises. They may not have seen each other since graduation, but old habits die hard.

Jaemin decides to ignore him. His main focus right now is doing well during the tryouts so he can get onto the team. 

At least, that had been the plan until Donghyuck approached him before the first mock game.

“What are you doing here?”

“Um, what it looks like?” Jaemin drops his glove onto the bench and replaces it with his bat. His team in the mock game is starting out on the offensive. He swings his bat around and smiles at Donghyuck, sickeningly sweet, as he scowls at him. 

“Listen, I don’t know what you’re up to-”

“I’m not up to anything-”

“But I swear to God if I-”

Before Donghyuck can finish his threat the coach whistles to start the game, forcing Donghyuck to close his mouth and stalk back to the other dugout. Jaemin rolls his eyes and joins the line of players standing up to bat as Donghyuck takes his position on the field. 

He ignores Donghyuck’s gaze practically burning through his helmet.

The rest of the tryouts pass by without issue. Clearly the both of them are trying to get on the team, and aren't stupid enough to jeopardize each other's chances. It makes Jaemin feel a little weird in his stomach to have Donghyuck ignoring him, but he tells himself it's better than having to listen to Donghyuck's voice or deal with his temper.

+++

A week later Jaemin gets an email with the team roster attached to it.

His name is on the list.

So is Donghyuck's. 

+++

There's another week before practice actually starts, which gives Jaemin time to work out a schedule between his classes and how much time he'll need to dedicate to the team. He's wishing he didn't sign up for another upper level course when someone sits down at his table in the library.

He looks up and faces a stranger.

"Uh...hello?"

"Hi. You're Jaemin, right?"

"Yes," Jaemin narrows his eyes, trying to figure out if he knows this guy or not. "Why?"

The stranger smiles at him and shrugs.

"My name's Jeno. I recognized you at tryouts last week." 

Jaemin remembers the blue hair and the broad shoulders now. The boy's hair had been half-hidden by the baseball cap he was wearing, but Jaemin can see it when he thinks back to last week.

"Right." he says. Then, "Sorry. You said you recognized me, but I don't really...know you." It feels awkward to admit, and Jeno laughs.

"That's fine. I actually went to a high school about 30 minutes away from yours. You know, 'Go, Dragons, Go!'"

"Oh!" Jaemin snaps his fingers together. "I remember now. You were on our rival team." Back then Jeno had the number 23 on his jersey, and dark black hair. He'd been a monster of a pitcher, to the point where even Jaemin had gotten a little nervous going up to bat. Not only that, he was an absolute tank on the rest of the field. A regular homerun batter and wicked fast sprinter. He definitely had to have made it onto the team.

Jeno is grinning now and nods.

"Yeah! I was distracted almost the entire time at tryouts because I was trying to remember where I saw you from before. Then my friend Mark reminded me, and I knew I had to come and say hi, but you'd already left."

"Sorry. I would have stayed a little longer if I realized." Jaemin laughs. "And now I feel even worse because I don't know who Mark is, and it sounds like he knows me."

Jeno waves his hand, "It's fine. You wouldn't know him anyways. He went to the same school as me, but we never got to play on the same team. He's already on the team here since he's a year older than us, so he showed up at tryouts just to kind of cheer me on. He actually wanted to come with me to say to you, but he had a meeting with his advisor."

"Well, I hope to meet him soon. He sounds like a nice guy."

"He is. Sometimes too nice." Jeno nods, glancing at his watch. "And now it's time for me to go. Sorry, I have a class at 3:30."

"That's fine. Maybe you can give me your number, just so it's easier for us all to meet up later?"

"Yeah, sure."

Once he has Jeno saved in his contacts Jaemin returns to his planner, still trying to finish his schedule before he has to leave the library. 

+++

Jaemin and Jeno do meet up a few days later, this time with Mark joining them. 

Jaemin learns that Jeno is studying psychology, and Mark is majoring in sports therapy. He doesn't know why he hasn't had any classes with Jeno yet since a lot of them line up with his social work major, but they still set up a study system between the two of them since their current classes are pretty close together.

One day while at the library again with the two of them Jaemin also officially meets Renjun, another member of the baseball team.

"You're good at playing baseball?" he asked. Jaemin hadn't even noticed him approaching the table until he was standing right behind him, almost scaring him out of his seat.

Jaemin had eventually nodded to Renjun's question, not really sure how to answer, and then watched as Renjun walked away. He later learns that Renjun has become sort-of friends with Donghyuck, and also seems to have a competitive streak worse than Donghyuck and Jaemin combined when it comes to winning games. He likes to scope out his fellow players and often reports back to the coach with suggestions on where to place them on the field and when. 

Jaemin doesn't get as close with Renjun as he is with Jeno and Mark, but they can make small talk enough for it to not be awkward when Donghyuck isn't around to snark at him.

All in all Jaemin has started to gain a pretty good support network of friends, plus one enemy, who isn't part of the support network, but keeps hanging around it like an unwanted fly. Jaemin doesn't know why he hasn't gotten rid of the fly yet.

+++

The first game of the season is scheduled for mid-February.

Jaemin scrambles to get most of his assignments done so he can push his focus into preparing for the game. He's excited. He hasn't played an official game since the end of his senior year of high school, and while they didn't have a bad season, it was Donghyuck's team that won one more game than Jaemin's team. It had left a bad taste in his mouth. 

This year he planned on playing to win, and though none of his plans had factored in Donghyuck playing on the same team as him, Jaemin knew that they were pretty well-stacked. Jeno, Mark and Renjun where on the team already, as well as several other skilled players. Jaemin could even admit, without anyone having to pull his teeth on it, that Donghyuck is a good player, a great one even.

If they didn't hate each other they would probably be even more helpful to the team, but as it is neither Jaemin nor Donghyuck want to attempt working together beyond the absolute bare minimum.

Even now Jeno sometimes has to help calm him down before Jaemin does something impulsive like knock Donghyuck flat on his ass. He's come close to it several times, mostly because Donghyuck keeps antagonizing him, finding any reason to tease and poke at Jaemin until he almost explodes. There was even an incident where the two had a screaming match in the parking lot after practice one day, only stopped by the coach who told them he would bar them from playing if they continued. Threats of being forced to sit out were enough to shut them both up. 

"You seriously almost got kicked off before the first game?" 

"It's not my fault." Jaemin looks up at Jeno and takes a swig of his water. They're sitting on the hood of Jeno's car, watching the rest of the players leave. The first game of the season is over, 3-2 with their team coming out the victor. Jeno watches him with a raised eyebrow before shrugging.

"Have you two always fought like that?" he asks, nodding towards Donghyuck still practicing his pitches in the diamond. 

Jaemin watches him hit the fence dead on every single time. 

"Yeah," he says eventually. "Actually, it used to be worse. We'd get in trouble all the time back in high school. Don't know why neither of us were kicked off the teams then. Probably because we went to a small school so they couldn't afford to lose any players, or else they'd have to consolidate."

"Hm. You know, Renjun's probably going to get on your guys' asses one of these days."

"All that team unity stuff he keeps talking about?"

"Yeah. I've talked to him about it before. He doesn't actually care if people like each other or not, he just doesn't want their personal issues getting in the way of the game."

Jaemin laughs, "That sounds like something he'd say."

Jeno laughs too. He taps his foot against the bumper of the car a few times, then pulls his leg up to rest his chin on his knee. Jaemin picks the peanuts out of his handful of trail mix and throws them onto the ground.

"Is there any reason why you guys are so..."

"Like that?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, we've just always hated each other I guess."

"Is it weird to play on the same team as him now?"

Jaemin snorts, "Oh, yeah. And this is actually us being civil right now."

"Jeez." Jeno breathes out. "You know, you guys should probably talk about it. You don't want to get in trouble with coach again or he might really kick you guys off the team completely."

"Mm-hm."

"I'm being serious."

"I know." Jaemin sighs, tips a handful of sunflower seeds and dried cranberries into his mouth, and chews. After a few moments he swallows and says, "It's hard though. We can barely stand each other. It's hard to even be in the same room as him sometimes."

"I'm not saying you guys have to get all buddy-buddy immediately, but just-"

"Try and work something out. I know. Maybe later I can try something, but for now I just want to play ball."

There's a few seconds of silence and then Jeno laughs again, "Dude, that was so fucking cheesy."

Jaemin shoves him in the shoulder and grins. 

+++

Of course, just when things had been looking up for Jaemin, they had to come crashing down.

(Thank you, gravity.)

+++

Jaemin sees Donghyuck’s soulmark for the first time on the drive to an away game. It's completely by accident, and he'd take it back if he could.

They're all carpooling to the game. Renjun is in the front seat, Jaemin sitting behind him with Jeno in the middle and Mark on his other side. Donghyuck had called shotgun before anyone had even gotten close to the car. 

“Give me the fucking M&Ms, Jeno, I swear to God!”

“Just let me get a handful hold on!”

Donghyuck unbuckles his seatbelt and turns around, trying to grab at Jeno. Over the sounds of Donghyuck yelling and Mark pleading with him to put his seatbelt back on, and Renjun threatening to pull the car over, that’s when Jaemin sees it.

Donghyuck’s shirt rides up and Jaemin’s soulmark is _right there_ on his side. 

He feels his brain short-circuit.

When Donghyuck has a fistful of M&M's and turns around in his seat his shirt slides back down to cover the soulmark. Jaemin immediately looks away. He doesn't want to get caught, even if Donghyuck wouldn't know why he's so freaked out about it. He'd probably just be mad that Jaemin had seen his mark in the first place. 

He closes his eyes and tells himself he's mistaken. There's no way Donghyuck has the same soulmark as him. It's impossible. 

And yet the image now burned into his retina begs to differ. 

Jaemin digs his fingers into his pants and breathes in deeply. He feels Jeno nudge his arm.

“Hey, you alright?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

He barely pays attention the rest of the way to the field. Jaemin is pretty sure the game ends up being one of his worst plays ever, and it doesn’t help that every time Donghyuck snipes at him all Jaemin can think about is the soulmark on Donghyuck’s tan skin, nestled in a constellation of two moles and freckle. The same one on Jaemin’s back, resting over his heart. 

+++

Here’s the thing that everyone knows.

Donghyuck and Jaemin don’t like each other.

They never have. When they first played on the same field as kids they were indifferent, running in opposite directions. They probably didn’t even know each other’s names. And then there was the first game of the season in 3rd grade, where Donghyuck had shoved Jaemin to the ground and they both got taken out, which propelled them straight into revenge-driven rivalry.

It is precisely this reason that it takes so long for Jaemin to even entertain the fact that they're apparently soulmates. A week passes before he starts freaking out.

Donghyuck, of all people! His soulmate!

It’s like the universe has decided to spite him. Is this because Jaemin is prone to white lies and a little bit of pride? Is this because he returns Donghyuck's antagonism instead of taking the high road? He’d adopt a life of utter humility and kindness if it meant he could avoid this specific outcome.

No matter how many times he takes his shirt off and twists to look in the mirror, doesn't see his own soulmark anymore.

He sees _their_ soulmark - Donghyuck and Jaemin.

The universe must be laughing.

+++

Jaemin goes to Jeno first, because Jeno is the calm friend. Jeno is the one that has the most common sense, and the one who holds everyone's best interests at heart. Jeno is the one he can trust to keep a secret, and won’t laugh at him for being soulmates with his arch-enemy. 

“Holy shit.”

Jaemin makes a distressed noise that sounds like a cross between a puppy being kicked and a rabid hamster as Jeno stares at him.

“That’s all you have to say?”

“Well, what do you want me to say?”

“That Donghyuck isn’t my soulmate!”

“You’re the one who just told me he is,” Jeno points out, and Jaemin deflates, laying face down on the three chairs he’s sprawled across in the lobby of the science building. Jeno pats him awkwardly on the leg. “Besides, isn’t this a good thing?”

" _How_ is it a good thing?”

“It could be, like, a sign from the universe. You know, that you guys don’t need to hate each other or something.”

Jaemin groans and goes quiet. No, it's definitely the universe playing a cruel joke.

A few minutes later, after stewing in his emotions like an over-filled pressure cooker, he sighs loudly and turns over. He flings an arm over his eyes to block out the fluorescent lights above and Jeno pats him on the leg again.

“I used to think the universe wanted us to hate each other.”

“Really?”

“Mm,” Jaemin hums. “How could I not? It’s just...before I met Donghyuck, I’d never met a person who didn’t like me? God, that sounds pretentious. I just mean that I’d never had to deal with anyone being negative with me. I had friends and family, no one who wanted to fight with me, and then here comes this kid shoving me into the dirt. I honestly think I was in shock when it happened.” Jaemin smiles to himself thinking about it, a weird mixture of distaste and something else bubbling in his chest cavity. “That was the first time I’d ever hit someone too. I kicked his legs out from under him and we both got in trouble. From then on we just...hated each other I guess.”

"Wait, are you serious? That's why you guys hate each other?"

"No," Jaemin says, affronted, and not-so-gently jabs his foot into Jeno's side. "That's just how it started. After that we start getting competitive. It was just in baseball, since we usually tried to avoid each other in school. I already mentioned how we used to fight a lot. We'd be down in the principal's office so often I think I remember it better than the cafeteria."

"Wow."

"And when you hate someone that long, it doesn't really matter how it started, since everything else has kind of built up, you know?"

"I guess...what are you going to do now then, if you're not going to tell him?"

"Now...I don't know. I guess I won't say anything."

"Jaemin," The way Jeno says his name, like a disappointed parent, has Jaemin moving his arm away from his eyes. He blinks up at Jeno. "You're _soulmates_." He emphasizes the word by tipping his head towards Jaemin. 

And Jaemin knows that, he does. He's dreamed of finding his soulmate ever since he was a little kid. Jeno reminding him like this makes him feel a bit queasy, but it's true that Jaemin doesn't have to say anything. He bites his lip and covers his eyes again, trying to get comfortable in the chairs. 

"I'll think about it, okay?"

"Fine."

He almost falls asleep when he hears Jeno speak up again. 

"I'll be here if you need anything."

"Thanks." 

+++

Jaemin ends up deciding a few hours after his conversation with Jeno that he just won’t tell Donghyuck about the whole soulmates thing. It’s not like finding your soulmate is one of the most important moments of your life. It’s not like actually meeting your soulmate is something rare and extraordinary and once in a lifetime possible.

Besides, it’ll save them the whole process of awkward reconciliation and weirdness that would come from finding out your destined rival is actually your destined romantic partner. 

It is this backwards logic that convinces Jaemin he’s doing the right thing, and definitely not just running away from his problems.

+++

Jaemin misses two practice meets for a project in his anthropology course. He hasn't seen Donghyuck in a week. To be honest, he’d almost forgotten about the whole “not telling Donghyuck they’re soulmates thing” until he’d walked onto the pitch and saw Donghyuck practicing catches with Renjun.

He has the same reaction he did during tryouts, when he saw Donghyuck and almost turned around and walked away, only this time Jeno is there to stop him.

“Jeno, let me through, please, I can’t do this, oh my God-”

“Nope,” Jeno says, taking him by the arm and pulling Jaemin into the dugout. “You’re not going to let this get the best of you.”

“Watch me.” Jaemin bites out. It’s not very aggressive, and more resigned.

“You’re too good of a player for us to let you run away.” Mark speaks up from behind, and Jaemin will never forgive the duo for tag teaming him into staying. “Also, coach already saw you walk onto the field. You know he won’t let you leave unless it’s life or death now.”

“This is life or death.” Jaemin whines.

“Really?” Mark goes all concerned and frowny-faced. Jaemin feels a little bad for not telling him about the situation yet, but his brain might actually explode from the stress of letting another person know about his predicament.

“No,” Jeno shakes his head. “Jaemin’s just being dramatic.”

“I am not!”

“Are too. Now get ready for the game. It might take your mind off things, yeah?”

Jaemin purses his lips before nodding. Maybe Jeno is right, and he can just focus on the game, forget Donghyuck is even on the same playing field as him. He calls on the spirit of Troy Bolton and sings to himself.

It doesn’t work.

Troy Bolton’s spirit abandons him and Jaemin knows that Donghyuck can tell something is up. Jaemin doesn’t respond to any of Donghyuck's usual jabs. In fact, he barely looks in Donghyuck’s direction if he can help it. When he does it's like his gaze is slipping over Donghyuck and never focusing on him. 

Apparently this is an issue for Donghyuck because the next time he’s up to pitch he throws worse than usual and scowls in Jaemin’s direction like it's his fault.

Jaemin keeps his eyes directed wherever Donghyuck isn’t and hopes he’ll get through the rest of the game unscathed.

By the end he thinks things actually went pretty well, all things considered.

When Jaemin is packing up his gear, ready to hightail it out of the dugout, Donghyuck corners him as soon as Jeno and Mark walk away to load their things into Jeno’s car.

“What’s your problem?”

Donghyuck has him backed against the fence with one hand on the chain links, and Jaemin thinks his soul might leave his body. He hasn’t been this close to Donghyuck since before he found out they were soulmates. He’s been actively trying to avoid being this close all game. He can count Donghyuck’s eyelashes and contemplate the exact shades of brown that make up his irises from here.

“Uh, nothing?” Jaemin says dumbly, tone trailing up like a question, and Donghyuck is scowling again.

“You’re not usually this stupid.”

"Hey!"

"Why are you playing like shit?"

"I'm not!" He totally is. Jaemin tries to muster up the familiar anger that comes from interacting with Donghyuck. He reminds himself that Donghyuck just insulted his playing skills, that Donghyuck is inserting himself into his personal space. His anger flickers and sputters out like a doused candle as his brain whispers to him, ' _soulmates_.'

"Just- Fucking, get it together."

Donghyuck shoves the fence before stalking away, leaving a bewildered Jaemin in the dugout. After another minute or two Jaemin starts moving, grabbing his bag and walking on jellied legs to his car. Jeno jogs up to him.

“So, did you tell him?”

“No.”

“Jaemin, you need to tell him.”

“What? No!”

He drops his bag into his trunk and slams it closed a little too hard. Jeno is watching him with sympathy.

"Alright, fine. Do you need a hug?"

Jaemin nods. He feels a little better when Jeno's arms wrap around him. His heart is still beating fast, thudding behind his ribcage, and his brain is a cocktail of anxiety and the afterthoughts of wishing Donghyuck had leaned a little closer when they were in the dugout. It's confusing.

When Jeno pulls away and Jaemin unlocks his car he notices Donghyuck glaring at them a few cars down before driving away.

+++

Jaemin avoids Donghyuck like the plague after that.

He thinks if he just ignores the "problem" long enough it will just go away on its own.

If he sees Donghyuck on campus he walks in the opposite direction. He'll sit all the way on the other side of the dugout so he doesn't have to talk to him, and hides from Donghyuck at team gatherings by using Jeno and Mark as human shields. And for a time it works.

One of the many downsides of this is that, more often than not, it leaves Jaemin beside himself with his thoughts. It leaves Jaemin with plenty of time to contemplate his soulmate and how he feels about it and what he wants to do. 

It manages to dig up and rework years worth of feelings towards Donghyuck, filtering through all the negative ones and finding little deposits of fondness and camaraderie that Jaemin has kept under lock and key for a long, long time. He's reminded that it's not just hate he feels towards Donghyuck, and it scares him, enough that he still won't admit it. He doesn't, cannot, have romantic feelings towards Donghyuck. 

Improbable.

Impossible.

Completely out of the ball park. 

(He tells Jeno about it, and Jeno looks at him as if to say, 'It's so obvious. Everyone else but you and him knows.')

+++

Jaemin’s plan blows up in his face eventually. Like it was destined to. (Seriously, the universe is guffawing, he can totally hear it.)

They're at the local indoor pool for another team bonding event, and Jaemin is stuck inside the empty locker room, digging through his duffel bag for a t-shirt he can swim in. The door opens behind him and he assumes it's Jeno, because Jeno said he would wait outside for him so they could go to the pool room together. 

"Hey, Jeno, have you seen my shirt? You know, the dark one with-"

"What the fuck."

That's definitely not Jeno.

Jaemin whips around to see Donghyuck standing in the entryway, the door clicking shut behind him and washing the pair in silence. Jaemin’s eyes are wide, and he can feel his heart pounding in his chest. He’s staring at Donghyuck’s face, but Donghyuck isn’t looking at him. His eyes are trained on Jaemin’s back.

“Oh, fuck.”

Jaemin twists his arm around and reaches up instinctively at his soulmark, realizing that Donghyuck has _seen_ it. He's seen Jaemin's soulmark, the same mark that’s on Donghyuck’s side and has been all his life.

"What do you mean, 'oh, fuck?'" Donghyuck asks. 

"Nothing!" Jaemin says, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on. He feels stupid wearing the jacket without a shirt on underneath, but pulls it close around him. "I just didn't want you to see it. Soulmarks are very personal you know!" Jaemin has never been a very good liar, and Donghyuck knows this. It's obvious with the way Jaemin's voice has gone all high and almost squeaky. 

"You wouldn't have a reaction like that if it was just a private soulmark thing. Why are you being so defensive about it?"

"I'm not being defensive!"

"Is this why you've been-" Donghyuck goes quiet all of a sudden, like he's realized something. 

"What?" Jaemin asks. "Is this why I've been what?"

"You've acting weird for weeks. You know something, and you're not telling me." Jaemin's brain is screaming at him to abort, end mission, run away and drown himself in the pool so he doesn't have to have this conversation. He's pretty sure Donghyuck has already figured it out at this point. He just wants to hear it from Jaemin's own mouth. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Jaemin says automatically.

"Jaemin, I swear to God, if you don't tell me what the fuck is going on-"

"I don't have to!"

"Don't you?" Donghyuck yells, and there's emotion in his voice that Jaemin hasn't heard before. The anger is obvious, but underneath it - hurt. 

"What was I supposed to say?" Jaemin yells back, standing up from the bench to face Donghyuck, and Donghyuck steps closer to him. "Was I just supposed to walk up to you and go 'oh, by the way, we're soulmates!?'"

"Yes! You don't just keep that from someone, Jaemin!"

"Would you have told me? If it was the other way around would you have told me?"

"That doesn't even- It didn't happen that way, so don't try to deflect to it. You _knew_ , and you kept it secret!"

"Yes, I did!"

Jaemin's hands are shaking. Donghyuck is red-faced, fists at his sides. He takes a step closer and Jaemin takes a step back, hot-cold fear dousing him like a bucket of cold water once he realizes he's said it out loud. Donghyuck knows now. 

"What are you doing?" Jaemin asks, voice trembling. 

Donghyuck has him backed up against the lockers now, and he flashbacks to being cornered against the fence just a few weeks ago. Only this time Donghyuck is even closer. Jaemin can feel his body heat through his clothes, and he doesn't know if Donghyuck is going to hit him or...kiss him. (Which one would he prefer?)

"I-"

Before either of them can say anything else the door to the locker room bursts open and Jeno is standing there.

"Jaemin! I came as soon as I heard Donghyuck was going to...be in here..." 

He glances between the two of them with wide eyes. Donghyuck stares at him, looks back at Jaemin, and Jaemin expects him to start yelling again. He expects Donghyuck to swear and rage and accuse him of so much. But instead Donghyuck remains silent. He turns around, shoulders past Jeno and leaves the room. The door clicks shut behind him, and Jaemin is left with his own thoughts, and Jeno looking at him sympathetically, and he can't deal with this right now.

"I think...I'm going to go home." he says. 

"Right, yeah, that's cool." Jeno hurries over to help Jaemin put his stuff away as Jaemin pulls on his t-shirt. It's the one he wore all day today. He still couldn't find his other one. "Do you want me to come with you, or do you want to be alone?"

"Alone, right now. Thanks though. I might text you later."

"Sure. Whenever, I'll probably be up. I'll tell the others you got sick or something."

"Thanks."

When Jaemin pulls out of the parking lot 10 minutes later he ignores the fact that Donghyuck's car is gone.

+++

For once, Donghyuck isn't looking in Jaemin's direction. In fact, he hasn't even acknowledged Jaemin's presence in the dugout or on the field at all during practice. Jaemin doesn't know whether to feel grateful or betrayed about this. On one hand, he doesn't have to deal with the awkwardness that's now settled into his and Donghyuck's relationship. On the other hand, it hurts a bit, being ignored. He wonders if this is how Donghyuck felt when Jaemin had been avoiding him. 

Now that they both know they're soulmates this is the part in the story where they should be slowly working things out, or falling into automatic, love at first sight. But this isn't a romance novel. 

Jaemin kind of wishes it was. It would be easier that way.

When he sees Donghyuck around campus it's only for a brief few seconds at a time until Donghyuck notices him and walks away. 

Jeno tells him to talk to Donghyuck and work things out.

Jaemin doesn't want to force the issue.

Part of him also realizes that it's probably a good thing they're not talking right now, because he doesn't know what to say, and he needs time to think things over. 

He sifts through every memory he's had with Donghyuck. From the beginning when they were just kids. Through the years of verbal sparring matchings and physical altercations. All the way up to graduating high school, and Jaemin ignoring the strange bitter feeling in his chest when he walked away from the ceremony, wondering if he'd ever see Donghyuck again. Only now, almost a year later, is Jaemin able to admit that he felt that way because he knew he would miss Donghyuck. 

Even back then he'd already been dealing with the feelings he had for Donghyuck, but he'd buried them deep down and forced himself to forget. Most of it had been because they hated each other. Part of it was because Jaemin still hadn't met his soulmate. 

He can't tell if he's lucky or unlucky that Donghyuck ended up being both his first...crush, and his soulmate. 

He wonders if Donghyuck will ever even talk to him again, or if this stilted avoidance is all they’ll have.

+++

“I want to try.”

Jaemin almost chokes on his noodles and bites them in half, swallowing what’s in his mouth while the rest drop to his plate with a wet slap. He gulps down some water before looking up at Donghyuck.

“Uh-”

Donghyuck is staring at him with an unreadable expression. His eyebrows are pinched a bit, almost like it’s physically painful for him to get the words out.

This is the first time Jaemin has talked to him in two weeks. He almost thought that Donghyuck would actively avoid him for the rest of the season, and then they wouldn't have an excuse to see each other since they had none of the same classes. (Jaemin had told himself that it was fine. That he could live with it, and that there definitely wasn't a gaping hole in his heart.)

“Being soulmates.” Donghyuck finally says, shoulders sagging once the words leave his mouth.

“Come again?”

“I said I want to try being soulmates. God, do you have cotton in your ears or something?”

“No,” Jaemin says, affronted, then ducks his head sheepishly. “It’s just, you don’t have to force yourself.”

“I’m not.”

“Oh, really?” Jaemin looks at him again, raising a brow, watching as Donghyuck shifts uncomfortably under his gaze. Is it really so bad just to be standing next to him? 

“Really, just,” Donghyuck sighs and sits down. “I do want to try. And before you say I’m forcing myself, soulmates are a two way street. Did you expect me just to say ‘no, I don’t want to’ and leave without at least trying to get to know you? At least,” He wrinkles his nose. “The hopefully less annoying parts of you.”

Jaemin rolls his eyes and goes back to eating his noodles.

“I mean, kind of yeah. I didn’t really expect you to be open to it.”

“Okay, fair. But what about you?”

Jaemin freezes.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you want to try? Because I’m not going to force you, but...for me personally,” Donghyuck plays with a hole at the end of his sweatshirt sleeve, twisting the frayed threads around his finger. “I don’t know. Everyone dreams about the day they’ll find their soulmate, right? I don’t want to just...throw it away because of a couple of differences.”

“You tried to murder me with a spork in 7th grade.”

“Oh, please, that was ages ago. Also you tried to do the same thing with a ruler in 8th grade.”

"Touché."

Jaemin places his hand on his chin just to annoy Donghyuck while he thinks. If he's being honest with himself, really honest, he does want to try. He wants to so bad. He's just like the main character in a romance story, dreaming of the day he meets his soulmate and falls in love with them, so to push it all away just seems like a waste. Even if his soulmate is Donghyuck. 

"Well?"

"Don't rush me." Jaemin says, thwacking Donghyuck in the arm absentmindedly. Donghyuck sighs, but stays silent. Eventually Jaemin says, "Yeah, I want to try."

"Okay," Donghyuck breathes. "Really truly?"

"Duh, I just said so."

"Don't need to get all pissy about it."

"Oh, shut up. Don't you have class or something?" Jaemin returns to eating his noodles, settling into their usual banter with ease. Contentment makes a home behind his ribcage. 

"Whatever." Donghyuck stands up. "I'll...see you later."

He walks off towards the art building, and Jaemin watches him until he disappears behind the front doors.

+++

To be honest, Jaemin wasn't very hopeful of things working out. Even if, on the outside, both of them appeared to be willing to try their best, there was a history of bad blood between them that they would have to wade through. 

Jaemin had never spent much time pondering the good parts about Donghyuck. He wants to know them now.

But what if Donghyuck gets to know him and decides that he just...doesn't like what he sees? Jaemin doesn't want to give himself hope and have it get torn down. Likewise, what if there isn't anything Jaemin likes about Donghyuck? He likes his baseball skills, and Donghyuck is definitely easy on the eyes, but that's about all Jaemin can think of right now.

Jeno tells him that he shouldn't worry too much. Apparently he thinks everything will work out just fine.

Whatever. Jaemin is the king of worrying, so he'll be nervous about it all he wants. 

Even Jeno and Mark showing up before his first date - a date! with Lee Donghyuck! - just barely helps to calm Jaemin's nerves. Should he even call it a date? Is it considered more of a get-together, since they're just going out for coffee and conversation? Jaemin doesn't know. He's never done this before. Mark gives him tips on breathing exercises while Jeno rubs his back, and Jaemin tells them he'll be fine. He's fine. He can do this.

They leave about 10 minutes before Donghyuck is set to arrive. 

Jaemin can’t stop checking his appearance in the mirror. He doesn’t smell like a sweaty, old baseball uniform, does he? 

He’s double checking that he has his wallet in his back pocket when there’s a knock on the door. 

“Fuck, fucking- shit,” he whispers to himself.

Jaemin walks up to the door and takes a deep breath. He tries wiggling the nervous energy out of his arms and takes one last look at his apartment. When he opens the door Donghyuck is standing on the other side, bathed in lamplight. They both stand in silence for a few moments.

“Hi.” Jaemin says eventually. His legs feel like jelly again. His heart is beating in overdrive.

“Hi.” Donghyuck says back. Jaemin can tell he’s nervous too, in the way Donghyuck’s right hand flexes just slightly at his side, and the lack of total confidence in his voice. For some reason it makes Jaemin feel less nervous himself, knowing he’s not the only one worried about the evening. 

He walks outside and shuts the door behind him.

“Jeez, didn’t think it was going to be this cold.” he says, shivering and pulling his coat tighter around himself. 

Donghyuck smiles at him when Jaemin’s teeth chatter.

“Yeah. That probably means we should get a move on.”

Jaemin thinks to himself that Donghyuck has a nice smile, even if it is a bit awkward.

He returns the smile with one of his own and nods, allowing himself that little bit of hope he'd been denying as Donghyuck's hand slips into his. 

Maybe things won't end in disaster.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

+++

(BONUS SCENE)

If you had told Jaemin a year ago that his soulmate was Lee Donghyuck, and that he would be kissing him underneath the bleachers after their last game of the season - _which they played together on the same team!_ \- he would have laughed in your face and asked if you were delusional. 

He feels a bit delusional himself now, trying to memorize the warmth of Donghyuck’s mouth against his. The way his lips are slightly chapped, and how his thumb is hot against the skin between Jaemin’s ear and cheekbone. 

It’s completely delusional.

And amazing.

Donghyuck’s eyes glitter when he pulls back, and he’s smiling. Then laughing, and leaning forward to kiss Jaemin again and once more, until Jaemin’s feelings are too much and he laughs against Donghyuck’s lips.

“Holy shit, I love you.”

Silence.

“You just realized this?”

Donghyuck looks at him fondly, smirking in the same way that used to drive Jaemin up the wall, but it’s no longer the scathing expression it used to be. It belies amusement. Something like warm-bottled affection. It makes Jaemin's chest feel fuzzy and gooey in a way that he’s never allowed before. 

“Cut me some slack,” he says. “You know this is all new to me.”

“Wait, for real?”

Jaemin frowns.

“Yes, for real. What-”

“I thought you were lying!”

“About what?” Jaemin asks incredulously, staring at Donghyuck who stares back at him slack-jawed.

“You mean you’ve really never been in a relationship before? Like, at all?”

Jaemin flushes with more than just affection, embarrassment creeping up and tinting his ears red.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“No,” Donghyuck is quick to assuage his fears. His hands trail up from Jaemin’s arms to his shoulders, as if to stop him from running away. “It’s not a problem. I just think it’s really sweet."

There's a pause, and then, “Oh, fuck.”

Donghyuck laughs, “I can’t believe I never realized you were such a romantic. One of those ‘saving-myself-for-my-soulmate’ types.”

“Hey!” Jaemin’s voice cracks as he exclaims. “There’s nothing wrong with that!”

“I never said there was.” 

“Yeah, right.”

“Really, there isn’t.”

Donghyuck smiles and pulls Jaemin into his arms, and Jaemin hides his face in his shoulder. His cheeks are still burning and he doesn’t want Donghyuck to see it. 

“I think I might regret this already.” he says.

When Donghyuck laughs again Jaemin knows he won’t.


End file.
